Washing machine drum baffle and washing machine therewith

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a drum baffle and a washing machine having the same. The drum baffle includes a sheath and a bottom plate. The sheath and the bottom plate form a cavity having a hollow structure. The drum baffle is made by injection molding using one or more polymer adsorption materials, which may be used as a washing medium. The cavity of the drum baffle is internally filled with solid particles. The drum baffle includes a plurality of holes defined for communicating with the cavity of the drum baffle and an inner space of the inner drum of the washing machine to allow washing water to flow through. The drum baffle assists laundry to be rolled inside the inner drum, where the drum baffle and the solid particles inside adsorb and absorb soil in the laundry so as to achieve better washing results.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of PCT Patent ApplicationNos. PCT/CN2013/074321, filed Apr. 17, 2013, PCT/CN2013/074330, filedApr. 18, 2013, and PCT/CN2013/074332, filed Apr. 18, 2013, which claimsthe priority of Chinese Patent Application Nos. 201220162935.6, filedApr. 17, 2012, 201220171490.8, filed Apr. 20, 2012, and 201220177038.2,filed Apr. 24, 2012, respectively. Each of the above disclosures isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to home appliances, and in particular, toa drum baffle disposed on an inner drum of a washing machine and washingmachines having the drum baffle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the present invention. The subjectmatter discussed in the background of the invention section should notbe assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in thebackground of the invention section. Similarly, a problem mentioned inthe background of the invention section or associated with the subjectmatter of the background of the invention section should not be assumedto have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matterin the background of the invention section merely represents differentapproaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions. Work ofthe presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thebackground of the invention section, as well as aspects of thedescription that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time offiling, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior artagainst the present invention.

Conventional washing machine uses water as a washing medium. Water anddetergent are added into the washing machine to wash the laundry, anddirty water is discharged from the washing machine when washing iscompleted. Additional water may be added into the washing machine towash or rinse the laundry. Water is discharged again once the washingand rinsing processes are completed. These processes uses large amountof water. The detergents contain many chemical substances harmful to theenvironment. Not only each washing process takes a long time tocomplete, but also the washing process consumes large amount of energyand water.

Improvements have been made to overcome the disadvantages of theconventional washing machine. Solid particles specially made of polymermaterials are used as a washing medium. Soil on laundry is adsorbed andabsorbed through friction between the solid particles and the laundryand the soil is removed. More than 80% of water can be saved using suchwashing method. Moreover, the solid particle washing media can berecycled, and reused. The solid particle washing media have a longservice life, will not require replenishment, and are safe andenvironment-friendly.

For a front loading drum washing machine using the solid particlewashing method, a storage tank for the solid particles is disposed inthe washing machine. Before the washing starts, the solid particles areplaced into an inner drum of a washing machine from the storage tank.During the washing, the solid particles make full contact with thelaundry. When the washing process ends, it may take a long time toseparate the laundry from the solid particles, and completely recyclethe solid particles back to the storage tank.

Separating and recycling of the solid particles from the laundry is adifficult and complicated process. Currently, holes for loading thesolid particles are formed on an outer drum of a washing machine. Theloading holes are connected to the storage tank of the solid particles.When the washing machine starts to recycle the solid particles, an innerdrum rotates in a very high speed, and the solid particles are movedfrom the solid particle loading holes to the storage tank by using acentrifugal force. It usually takes a long time, and even so, it stillcan't completely separate the solid particles due to wrapping andintertwining of laundry. If the solid particles are to be dewatered,more solid particles are loaded and recycled. This solid particlerecycling process is very complicated and time consuming. Moreover, sucha method requires a particle recycling and storage apparatus, andfurther increases the size, the weight, and manufacturing cost of thewashing machine.

Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to addressthe aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a drumbaffle and a washing machine having the same, which does not requireparticle separation, so as to solve the foregoing problems anddisadvantages, simplify a laundry process, and shorten laundry washingcycle.

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a drum baffle for awashing machine. The drum baffle is disposed on an inner wall of aninner drum of the washing machine, and includes a sheath and a bottomplate. The sheath and the bottom plate form a hollow structure having acavity and a plurality of holes defined thereon. The plurality of holesis adapted to communicate the cavity with an inner space of the innerdrum of the washing machine to allow washing water to flow through. Thecavity is internally filled with solid particles as a washing medium. Inone embodiment, the solid particles are made of one or more polymeradsorption materials.

In one embodiment, the drum baffle is made by injection molding of oneor more polymer adsorption materials that are used as the washingmedium.

In one embodiment, the sheath comprises two end walls, two side wallsconnected between the two end walls, and a top wall connected betweenthe two end walls and between the two side walls. In one embodiment, theplurality of holes is defined at least on the top wall of the sheath.

In one embodiment, the bottom plate is detachably or rotatable-openablyconnected to a bottom of the sheath. In one embodiment, the plurality ofholes is defined on the bottom plate.

In one embodiment, a side edge extends from each of two bottom sides ofthe drum baffle and includes one or more mounting holes for fasteningthe drum baffle onto the inner wall of the inner drum of the washingmachine.

In one embodiment, the drum baffle further comprises one or morereinforcement bars for strengthening and supporting the drum baffle.

In one embodiment, the drum baffle may also comprise a plurality ofprotrusions formed outwardly on an outer surface of the sheath, wherethe plurality of protrusions is integrally formed on the sheath.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to a drum baffledisposed on an inner wall of an inner drum of a washing machine. Thedrum baffle comprises a structure being made by injection molding of oneor more polymer adsorption materials that are used as a washing medium.

In one embodiment, the structure is a hollow structure.

In one embodiment, the hollow structure comprises a sheath having twoend walls, two side walls connected between the two end walls, and a topwall connected between the two end walls and between the two side walls.In one embodiment, a plurality of holes is defined at least on the topwall of the sheath for allowing washing water to flow through.

In one embodiment, a side edge extends from each of two bottom sides ofthe structure and includes one or more mounting holes for fastening thestructure onto the inner wall of the inner drum of the washing machine.

In one embodiment, the drum baffle further comprises one or morereinforcement bars disposed inside the hollow structure forstrengthening and supporting the drum baffle.

In one embodiment, the drum baffle may also comprise a plurality ofprotrusions formed outwardly on an outer surface of the structure. Inone embodiment, the plurality of protrusions is integrally formed on thestructure.

In certain aspects, the present invention relates to a washing machine.The washing machine includes an inner drum having an inner wall; and oneor more drum baffles disposed on the inner wall of the inner drum. Eachdrum baffle is formed as above.

During washing and rinsing processes, separating and recycling the solidparticles from the laundry are not required, so that the washing time isshortened, the washing and rinsing processes are simplified, and thewater consumption is greatly reduced. Moreover, the washing machinehaving the drum baffles does not need a particle recycling and storageapparatus so that the structure of the washing machine according to theinvention is simple, whereby the overall weight is reduced, and themanufacturing cost is therefore decreased.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following description of the preferred embodiment taken inconjunction with the following drawings, although variations andmodifications therein may be affected without departing from the spiritand scope of the novel concepts of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of theinvention and together with the written description, serve to explainthe principles of the invention. Wherever possible, the same referencenumbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or likeelements of an embodiment.

FIG. 1A is a partial schematic structural diagram of a front loadingdrum washing machine according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 1B is a partial schematic structural diagram of a front loadingdrum washing machine according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a front schematic structural view of a drum baffle accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a rear schematic structural view of the drum baffle accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a rear schematic structural view of the drum baffle accordingto another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a front schematic structural view of a drum baffle accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a front schematic structural view of a drum baffle accordingto another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side schematic structural view of a drum baffle according tocertain embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodimentsof the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likereference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”another element, it can be directly on the other element or interveningelements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element isreferred to as being “directly on” another element, there are nointervening elements present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includesany and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third,etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These termsare only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus,a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed belowcould be termed a second element, component, region, layer or sectionwithout departing from the teachings of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” or “includes” and/or “including” or “has” and/or“having” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features,regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof.

Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom”, “upper” or“top,” and “front” or “back” may be used herein to describe oneelement's relationship to another element as illustrated in the Figures.It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in addition to the orientationdepicted in the Figures. For example, if the device in one of thefigures is turned over, elements described as being on the “lower” sideof other elements would then be oriented on “upper” sides of the otherelements. The exemplary term “lower”, can therefore, encompasses both anorientation of “lower” and “upper,” depending of the particularorientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one of thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. Theexemplary terms “below” or “beneath” can, therefore, encompass both anorientation of above and below.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and thepresent disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized oroverly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

As used herein, “around”, “about” or “approximately” shall generallymean within 20 percent, preferably within 10 percent, and morepreferably within 5 percent of a given value or range. Numericalquantities given herein are approximate, meaning that the term “around”,“about” or “approximately” can be inferred if not expressly stated.

The description will be made as to the embodiments of the invention inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in FIGS. 1-5. In accordancewith the purposes of this invention, as embodied and broadly describedherein, this invention, in certain aspects, relates to a drum baffle fora washing machine, and washing machines having the drum baffle.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, a partial schematic structural diagram of awashing machine is shown according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. The washing machine includes a housing (not shown in the FIG.1A), an outer drum 1, and an inner drum 2. The outer drum 1 is used forholding water and the inner drum 2 is used for washing laundry. Theouter drum 1 and an inner drum 2 are disposed in the housing. The outerdrum 1 is fixed and does not rotate. The inner drum 2 is disposed insidethe outer drum 1, and driven by a driving apparatus to rotate. The innerdrum 2 operably rotates around a horizontal axle that is parallel to theground. A plurality of water supply openings (not shown in FIG. 1A) forsupplying washing water to the inner drum 2 is evenly distributed on adrum wall of the inner drum 2. The shape of the water supply openingsmay include round, square, rectangular, polygonal, or the like.

The washing machine has at least one water inlet (not shown in the FIG.1A) in an upper part of the outer drum 1 for supplying water into thewashing machine for washing and rinsing processes. The washing waterenters the outer drum 1 through the water inlet and enters the innerdrum 2 through the water supply openings. The washing machine has awater discharge outlet (not shown in the FIG. 1A) in a lower part of theouter drum 1 for discharging waste water.

Further, the washing machine includes a plurality of drum baffles 4space-apart disposed on the inner wall of the inner drum 2. In thisexemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, each drum baffle 4 includes astructure being made by injection molding of one or more polymeradsorption materials that are used as a washing medium. In other words,each drum baffle 4 itself is used as the washing medium in thisembodiment.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1B, for example, each drumbaffle 4 has a structure that is a hollow structure. The hollowstructure is internally filled with solid particles 3 as the washingmedium.

In certain embodiments, each drum baffle 4 includes a sheath 6 and abottom plate 10. The sheath 6 and the bottom plate 10 are connected toform the hollow structure having the cavity. The cavity is internallyfilled with solid particles 3 as the washing medium.

In certain embodiments, the drum baffle 4 is made by injection moldingof one or more polymer adsorption materials that are also used as thewashing medium. The drum baffle 4 also includes a plurality of holes 11for communicating with the cavity of the drum baffle 4 and an innerspace of an inner drum 2 of the washing machine to allow washing waterto flow through.

In certain embodiments, a number of drum baffles 4 are space-evenlydisposed on the inner wall of the inner drum 2 along a circumferentialdirection of the inner wall of the inner drum 2. The drum baffles 4 aredisposed parallel to an axial direction of the inner drum 2. Each drumbaffle 4 is formed of a hollow structure by injection molding of one ormore polymer adsorption materials as the washing medium. In addition,each drum baffle 4 has a cavity filled with high molecular polymerwashing particles 3. The high molecular polymer washing particles 3 (orsolid particles 3) are also used as the washing medium.

In certain embodiments, the high molecular polymer washing particles isformed of a material including polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE),polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene vinyl acetate(EVA), or the like. In other embodiments, the high molecular polymerwashing particles are formed of a material that is a mixture of morethan one foregoing materials. The material contains hydrophilic andlipophilic ingredients and further contains an ingredient of asurfactant, and has a strong capability of adsorbing soil. When used ina process of contacting with laundry 5 and water, these solid particles3 have the abilities of adsorbing soil and removing stains. In certainembodiments, the solid particles 3 are made of one or more polymeradsorption materials.

The more drum baffles 4 the washing machine has, the higher the drumbaffles 4 are, the larger the contact area of the drum baffles 4 isbetween the solid particles 3, water and the laundry 5, and the moreadsorption. On the other hand, if one has more and higher drum baffles4, these drum baffles 4 take precious space inside the inner drum 2, andit has smaller effective volume of the inner drum 2 of the washingmachine. However, if one has very small number of the drum baffles 4,the ability to adsorb soil from the laundry 5 dramatically reduced.Therefore, in certain embodiments, three to five drum baffles 4 may beused. In these exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A and 2B, five drumbaffles 4 are disposed inside the inner drum 2.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, a front view and two rear views ofa drum baffle 4 are shown, respectively, according to certainembodiments of the present invention. The drum baffle 4 includes asheath 6 on the top and a bottom plate 10 at the bottom. The sheath 6 isformed by two side walls 7, two end walls 8, and a top wall 9. The twoside walls 7, the two end walls 8, the top wall 9, and the bottom plate10 jointly form a hollow structure of the drum baffle 4, therebydefining a cavity therein The high molecular polymer washing particles,or solid particles 3 are enclosed in the cavity of the drum baffle 4.The drum baffles 4 and the solid particles 3 are detachable as a wholemaking daily maintenance easier and more convenient. The transitionsamong the side walls 7, the end walls 8, and the top wall 9 are seamlessand smooth. The two side walls 7 use an arc design, forming astreamlined shape. The two side walls 7 have a centrosymmetricstructure. Such a design makes rolling of the laundry 5 in the innerdrum 2 much easier and gentler, and improves the washing efficiency.

In certain embodiments, a large number of water holes 11 are disposed onthe top wall 9 of the sheath 6, as shown in FIG. 3, and on the bottomplate 10, so that the washing water can freely flow through the innerdrum 2 and the drum baffle 4. The water holes 11 have a diameter that isless than the smallest diameter of the solid particles 3 such that thesolid particles 3 are retained inside the cavity during the washing andrinsing processes, and washing water can flow through freely. The bottomplate 10 is of a flat plate structure, the inner wall of the inner drum2 is of an arc structure, and a certain gap exists between the bottomplate 10 and the inner wall of the inner drum 2. Such a gap facilitatesthe flow of the washing water, and drainage of the washing water. In oneembodiment, the bottom plate 10 is detachably connected to a bottom ofthe sheath 6 in an opened manner. In another embodiment, the bottomplate 10 is rotatable-openably connected to a bottom of the sheath 6.

As shown in FIG. 3B, certain reinforcement bars 15 are disposed insideeach of the drum baffles 4 for supporting the side walls 7, the endwalls 8, and the top wall 9. The reinforcement bars 15 are disposed in acrisscross manner in the drum baffle 4, to enhance the overall strengthof the drum baffle 4.

In certain embodiments, also as shown in FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, a side edge13 extends on each side of the drum baffle 4 from the bottoms of the twoside walls 7 of the sheath 6. The side edge 13 is used to mount the drumbaffle 4 onto the inner wall of the inner drum 2. The drum baffle 4includes two mounting holes 14 on each side edge 13. A fastener such asa screw is used to mount the drum baffle 4 onto the inner wall of theinner drum 2 pass through the mounting hole 14. Such a structure allowsthe drum baffle 4 to be removed, replaced, and cleaned.

In the washing or rinsing process, the washing water and laundry 5 inthe inner drum 2 continuously contact with the drum baffle 4 and performadsorption. The washing water in the inner drum 2 also flows through thewater holes 11 to enter the drum baffle 4, so that the washing watermakes contact with the solid particles 3 in the drum baffle 4. Thepolymer material used to manufacture the drum baffle 4 and the solidparticles 3 adsorb and absorb the soil on the laundry 5, and purify thewashing water by adsorbing and absorbing the soil from the washingwater. The washing water after adsorption by the solid particles 3 isthen discharged from the drum baffle 4 by passing through the waterholes 11, thereby effectively improving the purity of the washing wateror rinsing water in a process in which the washing water or the rinsingwater contacts with the laundry 5, and greatly improving the washingefficiency. In addition, replenishing and recycling solid particles 3are not necessary, washing cycle is shortened, and large quantity ofwashing water is saved.

Referring back to FIG. 1B, when the drum baffle 4 is at a position A,the washing water in the inner drum 2 passes through the water holes 11to enter the drum baffle 4, and the solid particles 3 are immersed inthe washing water. As the inner drum 2 rotates, when the drum baffle 4rotates to a position B, the solid particles 3 may store a part of thewashing water, and the solid particles 3 adsorb soil. When the drumbaffle 4 continues to rotate to a position C, purer washing water afteradsorption flows through the water holes 11 on the top wall 9 and thebottom plate 10 to flow back to the laundry 5 to be washed, and thisprocess is repeated, as the inner drum 2 rotates.

Recycling of the polymer adsorption material effectively improves thepurity of the washing water or the rinsing water in the process as thewashing water or the rinsing water makes direct contact with the laundry5, and greatly improves the laundry cleaning efficiency. Moreover,because the solid particles 3 are always remained in the drum baffles 4,replenishing and recycling solid particles 3 are not necessary, washingcycle is shortened, and large quantity of washing water is saved. Inaddition, in the process of washing and rinsing, the laundry 5 and thesolid particles 3 are always separated, which effectively solves theproblem of separating the solid particles 3 from the laundry 5, andfurther shortens the washing cycle.

When the laundry 5 is washed, and rinsed, the laundry 5 is dewateredthrough a dewatering process. In the dewatering process, the inner drum2 rotates at a high speed, and drives the drum baffle 4 and the solidparticles 3 in the drum baffle 4 to rotate at the same high speed todischarge soil attached to surfaces of the drum baffle 4 and the solidparticles 3 out of the washing machine with the washing water throughthe high-speed centrifugal force and to recover the adsorptioncapability of the polymer material of the drum baffle 4 and the solidparticles 3. This recovery process is very simple, straightforward andconvenient.

The water holes 11 are only disposed on the top wall 9 and the bottomplate 10 of the drum baffles 4. This design not only simplifies thewashing process and reduces processing difficulties, but alsoappropriately increases a time period when the washing water remains inthe drum baffles 4, facilitates contact of the solid particles 3 and thedrum baffles 4 with the washing water, and makes the solid particles 3adsorb soil in the water better and more efficiently.

In order to maintain high cleaning efficiency, once the solid particles3 are used for a period of time, the solid particles 3 need to beremoved from the drum baffles 4, and either to be replaced or to becleaned. In order to replace the solid particles 3, the bottom plate 10are made to be of a detachable structure. In one embodiment, the bottomplate 10 is fixed and connected to the bottom of the sheath 6 using oneor more screws. In another embodiment, the bottom plate 10 is fixed andconnected to the bottom of the sheath 6 through one or more clamps.Alternatively, in one embodiment, a side edge 13 of the bottom plate 10is connected to the bottom of the sheath 6 through a hinge, and thebottom plate 10 may be rotated to open the drum baffle 4 on one side. Inanother embodiment, the other side is fixed to and connected to thesheath 6 through a clamp.

The following describes in detail a washing method using the foregoingdrum washing machine with reference to FIG. 1. In certain embodiments,the washing method includes the following steps:

Step 1: placing soiled laundry 5 to be washed into the inner drum 2 ofthe washing machine, turning on the water inlet on the upper part of theouter drum 1, and injecting water into the outer drum 1. The washingwater and detergent are mixed and the mixture of the washing water andthe detergent enters the outer drum 1, and flows through the water holes11 into the inner drum 2. Then the mixture of the washing water and thedetergent are fully mixed in the inner drum 2 with the laundry 5. Inthis process, only a proper amount of water and detergent need to beadded and the laundry 5 is fully immersed by the water.

Once the washing water immerses the laundry 5, the laundry 5 should stayin the water to be soaked for a certain period of time, so that thewashing water and the laundry 5 are fully soaked to achieve betterwashing results.

Step 2: driving the inner drum 2 to rotate by using a driving apparatus.In certain embodiments, the inner drum 2 rotates clockwise a certainperiod of time, stops, and rotates counterclockwise for a certain periodof time. The drum baffles 4 on the inner wall of the inner drum 2circulate in the same manner as the inner drum 2 rotates. The laundry 5continuously rolls in the inner drum 2 through the actions of the drumbaffles 4. Meanwhile, the drum baffle 4 and the solid particles 3 withadsorption performance continuously adsorb soil from the laundry 5 andthe washing water.

When the drum baffle 4 is at position A, the washing water in the innerdrum 2 flows through the water holes 11 to enter the drum baffle 4 atthe position A, and the solid particles 3 inside the cavity of the drumbaffle 4 are immersed in the washing water. As the inner drum 2 rotatesand reach position B, the solid particles 3 retains a portion of thewashing water such that the solid particles 3 continue to adsorb soilfrom the washing water. When the drum baffle 4 rotates to position C,the washing water after adsorption flows through the water holes 11 onthe top wall 9 and the bottom plate 10, backs to the laundry 5 in theinner drum 2.

In one embodiment, an optimal result can be achieved when a rotatingspeed of the inner drum 2 is between 100-200 rotations per minute(r/min).

Step 3: discharging the washing water after the washing cycle iscompleted through a water discharge outlet (not shown in FIG. 1) on thelower part of the outer drum 1.

Step 4: rotating the inner drum 2 at a high speed to take the excessivewater out of the laundry 5 (dewatering) and the drum baffle 4 in theinner drum 2, to recover the adsorption capability of the solidparticles 3 used to manufacture the drum baffle 4 and the solidparticles 3, to collect and store the washing water in the outer drum 1,and to discharge the washing water from the water discharge outlet onthe lower part of the outer drum 1.

In this step, the inner drum 2 rotates at a rotating speed in a range ofabout 100 to 1000 r/min. The dewatering rotation speed of the inner drum2 is generally higher than the rotation speed of the inner drum 2 duringthe washing cycle.

Step 5: injecting a proper amount of clean water into the outer drum 1through the water inlet again to rinse the laundry 5 once the soiledwashing water is drained through the water discharge outlet. After thisrinsing, the foregoing dewatering process is repeated to remove theexcessive washing water from the laundry 5. The cleaned laundry 5 istaken out of the washing machine for drying after the rinsing anddewatering processes.

In certain embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5, the drum baffle 4includes a plurality of protrusions 12 on an outer surface of the sheath6. The protrusions 12 are evenly distributed on outer surfaces of theside walls 7, the end walls 8, and the side edges 13 of the drum baffle4. The plurality of protrusions 12 and the sheath 6 are of an integrallyformed structure. The plurality of protrusions 12 is also made of one ormore of forgoing polymer materials. The protrusions 12 may take theshapes of a semi-circular, semi-elliptical, or the like.

The projections 12 not only enlarge the contact area of the polymermaterial with adsorption performance and laundry 5 with water, but alsoincrease the friction between the protrusions 12 and the laundry 5 suchthat soil on the laundry 5 is removed easily. The addition of theplurality of protrusions 12 improves the adsorption performance of thedrum baffle 4, and achieves better washing results.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to a washing machine.In certain embodiments, the washing machine has one or more drum baffles4 disposed on an inner wall of an inner drum 2 of the washing machine.Each of the drum baffles 4 has a sheath 6 and a bottom plate 10. Thesheath 6 and the bottom plate 10 are connected to form a hollowstructure having a cavity. The drum baffle 4 is made by injectionmolding of one or more polymer adsorption materials, which itself isused as a washing medium. In addition, the cavity of the drum baffle 4is internally filled with solid particles 3 as the washing medium. Thedrum baffle 4 also includes a plurality of holes 11 for communicatingwith the cavity of the drum baffle and an inner space of an inner drum 2of the washing machine to allow washing water to flow through.

In certain embodiments, one or more drum baffles 4 are disposed on aninner wall of the inner drum 2 of the washing machine. The sheath 6 ofthe drum baffle 4 has two side walls 7, two end walls 8, and a top wall9. The water holes 11 are disposed at least on the top wall of thesheath 6 of the drum baffle 4. The water holes 11 may also be disposedon the bottom plate 10 of the drum baffle 4. In one embodiment, thebottom plate 10 is detachably connected to a bottom of the sheath 6 inan opened manner. In another embodiment, the bottom plate 10 isrotatable-openably connected to a bottom of the sheath 6.

In certain embodiments, the drum baffle 4 further has one or morereinforcement bars 15 for strengthening and supporting the drum baffle4. A side edge 13 extends from each bottom side of the drum baffle 4.The side edge 13 includes one or more mounting holes for fastening thedrum baffle 4 onto the inner wall of the inner drum of the washingmachine. The drum baffle 4 further includes a plurality of protrusions12 on an outer surface of the sheath 6 of the drum baffle 4. Theseprotrusions 12 may be integrally formed on the sheath 6 of the drumbaffle 4.

In certain embodiments, the solid particles 3 are made of one or morepolymer adsorption materials, used as the washing medium.

According to the invention, the washing machine having the drum bafflesdoes not need a particle recycling and storage apparatus. Thus, thestructure of the washing machine is simple; the overall weight isreduced; and the manufacturing cost is decreased. Further, duringwashing and rinsing processes, separating and recycling the solidparticles from the laundry are not required, so that the washing time isshortened, the washing and rinsing processes are simplified, and thewater consumption is greatly reduced.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the inventionhas been presented only for the purposes of illustration and descriptionand is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teaching. Although not explicitly described in thepresent invention, other embodiments within the scope of the inventionand defined by the claims may be obtained by combining, modifying orchanging the exemplary embodiments as described in the presentinvention.

The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explainthe principles of the invention and their practical application so as toactivate others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and variousexemplary embodiments and with various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertainswithout departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope ofthe invention is defined by the appended claims rather than theforegoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drum baffle disposed on an inner wall of aninner drum of a washing machine, comprising: a sheath; and a bottomplate, wherein the sheath and the bottom plate form a hollow structurehaving a cavity and a plurality of holes defined thereon, the cavity isinternally filled with solid particles as a washing medium, and theplurality of holes is adapted to communicate the cavity with an innerspace of the inner drum of the washing machine to allow washing water toflow through.
 2. The drum baffle according to claim 1, being made byinjection molding of one or more polymer adsorption materials that areused as the washing medium.
 3. The drum baffle according to claim 1,wherein the sheath comprises two end walls, two side walls connectedbetween the two end walls, and a top wall connected between the two endwalls and between the two side walls.
 4. The drum baffle according toclaim 3, wherein the plurality of holes is defined at least on the topwall of the sheath.
 5. The drum baffle according to claim 3, wherein thebottom plate is detachably or rotatable-openably connected to a bottomof the sheath.
 6. The drum baffle according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of holes is defined on the bottom plate.
 7. The drum baffleaccording to claim 1, further comprising one or more reinforcement barsfor strengthening and supporting the drum baffle.
 8. The drum baffleaccording to claim 1, wherein a side edge extends from each of twobottom sides of the drum baffle and includes one or more mounting holesfor fastening the drum baffle onto the inner wall of the inner drum ofthe washing machine.
 9. The drum baffle according claim 1, furthercomprising a plurality of protrusions formed outwardly on an outersurface of the sheath, wherein the plurality of protrusions isintegrally formed on the sheath.
 10. The drum baffle according claim 1,wherein the solid particles are made of one or more polymer adsorptionmaterials.
 11. A washing machine, comprising: an inner drum having aninner wall; and one or more drum baffles disposed on the inner wall ofthe inner drum, each drum baffle being recited in claim
 1. 12. A drumbaffle disposed on an inner wall of an inner drum of a washing machine,comprising: a structure being made by injection molding of one or morepolymer adsorption materials that are used as a washing medium.
 13. Thedrum baffle according to claim 12, wherein the structure is a hollowstructure.
 14. The drum baffle according to claim 13, wherein the hollowstructure comprises a sheath having two end walls, two side wallsconnected between the two end walls, and a top wall connected betweenthe two end walls and between the two side walls.
 15. The drum baffleaccording to claim 14, wherein a plurality of holes is defined at leaston the top wall of the sheath for allowing washing water to flowthrough.
 16. The drum baffle according to claim 13, further comprisingone or more reinforcement bars disposed inside the hollow structure forstrengthening and supporting the drum baffle.
 17. The drum baffleaccording to claim 12, wherein a side edge extends from each of twobottom sides of the structure and includes one or more mounting holesfor fastening the structure onto the inner wall of the inner drum of thewashing machine.
 18. The drum baffle according claim 12, furthercomprising a plurality of protrusions formed outwardly on an outersurface of the structure.
 19. The drum baffle according claim 18,wherein the plurality of protrusions is integrally formed on thestructure.
 20. A washing machine, comprising: an inner drum having aninner wall; and one or more drum baffles disposed on the inner wall ofthe inner drum, each drum baffle being recited in claim 12.